Nine Months
by SymphonicRedWolf
Summary: A spell gone wrong turns Alfred into a girl, who ends up pregnant with Ivan's child. They part ways after a fight, each returning home to their respective capitals. Alfred's boss is happy, albeit shocked to hear about their child, but Ivan's boss has other ideas in mind. He has Alfred kidnapped and brought to Moscow, but that's only the beginning of what's in store for them...
1. Chapter 1

"I'm going back to DC, Ivan," Alfred said, fists clenched at her side. Unshed tears sparkled in her ocean blue eyes, but she kept her gaze cold as she stared at Ivan, not backing down on this one. "It's been a while; I need to catch up on some paperwork before I get behind, maybe talk to my boss… It will only be for a little while, a few days at most, and then I'll be back."

Ivan blinked. "Then I am going with you."

"No. I'm going alone. You're not coming with me." She set her jaw; there was no budging. Ivan wasn't going to talk his way around this one, not this time.

"Дорогая... You are not going by yourself."

"I can and I am, Ivan! I'll be back soon."

Ivan knew that fierce look in her eye; there was no point in trying to press the issue. It would only make the situation worse and both parties would end up angrier than before. "Fine," Ivan bit back, hurt swirling in those violet orbs. "Then I am returning home to Moscow as well. It has been a very long time since I have been home and I will have to report to my boss. He will want to know why I have been away for so long."

"Fine. I'll see you in a few days, then." And they went their separate ways without as much as a good-bye.

Alfred's flight back home to DC was a quick one. She spent almost the entire hour staring out the window, blood boiling with rage toward Ivan, toward Greece, toward herself and just the world as a whole. Every little thing was getting under her skin, but this time it was Ivan and his unchanging ways. Why couldn't he just open up to her? She could always tell when something was on his mind, but the Russian refused to talk about it, brushing it off with a simple "I am fine, do not worry," and ending the conversation however he could. Was she that hard to trust?

Maybe she wasn't always the most sensitive towards others' feelings, but when it came to Ivan, she always tried her best. Or at least she thought she did…

She growled; just thinking about him was stirring up so many emotions within her she didn't want to be bothered with right now. She hated him, yet she loved him, but he was the _last _thing she wanted to be thinking about right now. Just breathe, she kept reminding herself. Relax. Stressing out wasn't good for her in this state.

Alfred greeted her boss as soon as she returned to the White House, bursting directly into his office. He stood upon her entry and paused in his greeting to stare, wide-eyed. Alfred was…? She had…? Before he could question her new appearance, she went off on her tales of where she had been as of late and it was with a sigh that her boss took his seat, waiting for when he knew he would be able to get a word in. The cheerfulness slowly returned to her voice as she recapped her adventures in Italy, Japan, and then even those in New York, telling him of all the sights she'd seen. The President leaned back in his chair, folding his hands as he listened to all of the stories, nodding occasionally or raising an eyebrow to show he was still listening. He noticed the sombre look she would adopt as mention of Ivan came up in the tale—which was quite often, he realised—but decided not to press the issue. Whatever they were dealing with was best left in their hands.

"So you were in New York for the past few months and didn't bother to mention to your boss that you had returned to America after being gone for so long?"

She blinked. "Well that's why I came today! To tell you I'd be here for a few days before leaving again. I know I've been letting the paperwork pile up, but I'll finish whatever I can and then I'll probably just leave again. Not sure for how long this time, though, but I'll let you know eventually what's going on."

"You'd better or you'll be in a world of trouble next time you get back, America. More importantly, how did _that_ happen?" He pointed to her.

Alfred blinked, gently placing a hand over her stomach. "How did this…? Well, you know, Ivan and I love each other and he put that _huge _thing in me—and it was amazing, but that's not the point… And then, well, you know… Now I'm pregnant…"

The President's dark eyes widened. "…Excuse me?"

"Oh, did you want me to explain…? But you should know how it works; you've got kids, sir. But if you really want me to… Well Ivan took his monster—"

"That's _not_ what I mean, America! I really don't need to hear about whatever Russia is…packing…"

"Are you sure? Because I could share and maybe give you some ideas for—"

"_Alfred!" _

She sunk down in her chair a bit. "Sorry… Then what do you mean?"

The President sighed, just barely dodging a bullet on that one. He rubbed his throbbing temples lightly, patience wearing thin. He loved America like his own child, but there were conversations like this that had him wishing for a glass of scotch at two in the afternoon. "I'm talking about your appearance! Why you left DC a man and are sitting before me now as a woman."

She processed the question for a moment before widening her eyes in realisation. "Oh! That's what you meant! I guess that makes more sense; you wouldn't need me to tell you about that, but the offer's still on the table." She grinned, he rolled his eyes, and she twiddled her thumbs in thought. "I don't remember exactly how long ago it happened—it was a few months at least—but Arthur was there too. I think Ivan did something that scared him or something—you know how he gets, trying to act all big and tough but can get scared pretty easily—and I laughed and might have said a few things to the tune of calling him a little girl and he was fuming. I thought those eyebrows were going to jump right off his face and attack me! You've seen those things, right? I think they're secretly alive and have minds of their own. But anyway, I think the last time he was actually that mad at me was when Matt and I were little and we rigged up this whole thing to his room. There was maple syrup at Mattie's request, of course, and I gathered a bunch of feathers and grass and we set it to fall all over his room and cover him in the process. There was a trip wire right at the edge of his bed so as soon as he got up, it would activate. He flipped out. It took the two of us two weeks to get the room spotless again…"

The President hung his head with a sigh. "Please stay on track, America…" He had no problem believing that America would do that and he found himself sympathizing with the English Nation. His two children were at the age now where they were constantly playing pranks and getting themselves into trouble, so he could feel his pain.

"Right, right! Sorry. And you know that Arthur believes in magic, right? He's got that whole demon spellbook, Harry Potter stuff set up in his basement. Even has a wand that he carries around!"

"America…"

"This is part of the story, I swear. So since he was so mad, he pulled out his wand and started speaking that weird old language. Suddenly I was glowing and Ivan couldn't stop him in time, so when the light finally faded, I looked like this! Florida was gone! And these!" Alfred grabbed her breasts. "I've got these instead and they're heavy and move when I do and being pregnant does not help with these hormonal issues, I tell you…"

"I didn't think you Nations could get pregnant…"

"Neither did we, sir, trust me. As far as we knew, finding new territories was the equivalent of having children for Nations. But then this happened… I freaked out at first, especially to Ivan. I blamed him for this whole thing, yelled at him, called him names, but as the weeks have gone by, I'm actually really excited…" She smiled softly, looking down at her belly. "Ivan and I are going to be parents… It's already been a few weeks; can you believe it?"

The calm, motherly look on Alfred's face elicited a gentle smile in return from his boss. If she was happy, then he was happy for her. "Well congratulations to the both of you and hopefully this won't just be an excuse to get out of your duties as America. You know that you still have your country duties to uphold, right? There will be leniency, of course, but you cannot shirk them forever."

"I know, sir. I'm aware of that. But if I want to just take some time off for my kid…"

"We'll work something out. Even working from home is fine. Your office has been kept just the way you left it, save for the piles of paperwork that have been brought in, but Jason wanted me to tell you whenever you got back that he beat your high score on the pinball machine and told you to, as he put it, 'step it up.'"

"Aw, no way! He beat me?! That's what I get for being away for so long… I've got to reclaim my title." Alfred stood and immediately headed for the door. "And I didn't forget, sir, I promise."

After twenty straight minutes of playing, she had beaten Jason's score by two million points, then proudly walked to the kitchen to make herself a victory snack. She was craving something salty and sweet, rummaging through the cabinets to see what there was. Alfred threw peanut butter, pretzels, some chocolate chips, marshmallow fluff, and potato chips inbetween two slices of white bread and happily returned to her office to see what the damage was. And there was damage.

Alfred gaped at the mountain of papers looming over her desk and whined around the sandwich in her mouth as she trudged over to her seat. This would take days to complete if she worked without a break. She pulled off about a fifth of the papers from the top of the stack, flipping through them. Laws, foreign policy, Russia… Alfred blinked and glanced at the clock. Ivan was probably in Moscow about now, having the same conversation with his boss. She wondered what it looked like on his end. Probably more serious and to the point; Ivan's boss wasn't as laid back as hers could be.

She pulled out the papers that had anything to do with US-Russian relations and set them aside, not wanting to think about Ivan right now. She was still mad and that was only making her more upset. Busying herself with paperwork only made it worse. Every scratch of the pen against paper, every little tick reminded her of him. Was he doing paperwork too, sitting in his office and thinking about her? Was he still talking to his boss at this very moment? It was after ten, Moscow time… He was probably tired and not thinking about her at all…

Alfred sniffed, pulling her knees as close to her chest as possible. More tears threatened to spill as she rested her chin on her knees, reaching for the mouse. "M-Maybe a good movie will take my mind off it…" She scrolled through her Netflix library, passing all the scary movies and jumping to adventure. The mouse hovered over the romantic comedy section for a few moments, but she quickly shot down that idea, settling for a classic Indiana Jones movie. It held her attention for a little while, but Indy's adventures soon became background noise as she tried to work on paperwork again.

Alfred tried to stifle a yawn as she signed her name on what must have been the fourteenth sheet of paper so far. "Just a few more…" The pen trailed across the page as she drifted off, falling from her hand as her head hit the desk.

It was morning when she woke up again, cheek red from being pressed up against the desk for hours on end. She checked the time on her phone and blinked, surprised to see it wasn't even ten yet. The paperwork still loomed over her and she shot it a glare, not in the mood to be dealing with that so early. "Computer games it is," she said, reaching for the mouse. Watching a bunch of little pixels get blown up seemed awesome right now.

Alfred was on round three of Minesweeper on the most difficult setting when her phone buzzed from her desk. Curiously she picked it up, staring at the screen. It was from Ivan…?

'_Привет_,' the message read. '_I am in DC.' _

Was that supposed to make her happy or angry that he was here? '_Thought you were in Moscow,' _she answered quickly, huffing as her fingers flew at the keys. Mad. Definitely mad. She continued her game, ignoring the reply as it first popped up on-screen. When the reminder message flashed, she couldn't ignore it anymore, giving in and reading it.

'_I was, but I have finished what I needed to and came to see you.' _She smiled a little. He came all this way to surprise her…? Alright, maybe she wasn't as mad as she originally thought.

'_Where are you?'_

'_I am in the White House.' _

Alfred looked around eagerly, frowning when she didn't see any sign of him. '_Where? I don't see you.'_

'_Right here.'_ The heavy oak doors to her office swung open and she practically jumped out of her chair at the thought of seeing Ivan walking in, running up to him, hugging him…

Ocean blue eyes narrowed dangerously at the man at the door. This person was _not _her Ivan, so just how the hell did they get in here? And more importantly, where was he? Alfred didn't like this one bit, tensing her body.

"Ah, America! We finally meet." The man in question stepped further into the room, putting Alfred on high alert. She cringed at hearing the fake cheerfulness in those words, growling slightly. That was a Russian accent; she knew it well.

"Who the hell are you? Where's Ivan?"

"Ivan couldn't make it, but he sends his regards." The Russian shut the door behind him, a glimmer of malice in those green eyes as the lock clicked into place.

"Bullshit!" She snapped, clenching a fist. "He just texted me! Tell me where he is _right now._"

"Oh, Ivan let me borrow his phone so I could contact you. We didn't have your phone number, you see, and he said he didn't mind." He pulled Ivan's phone out of his pocket, holding it out for Alfred to see.

Bad. This was very bad. Ivan didn't just give his phone away to people, not even his own, and would never have told them about her status as America. "W-Where is he? And tell me your name!"

"Russia is having an important conversation with our boss right now and can't be distracted. I am Alexei. I work for Russia and his boss. You're wanted in Moscow. My boss and Ivan are eagerly waiting your arrival." Alexei switched the phone for a white cloth, narrowing his eyes as he raced for Alfred.

Every voice in Alfred's head was screaming flight, not fight. It was a stupid idea and she knew it, but she was furious at herself for not realising it was a trap the whole time and her pride as America wouldn't just let her turn tail and run. This man broke into her office, stole her boyfriend's phone, and threatened her. Alfred F. Jones wasn't taking that sitting down.

Her fingers closed tightly around the arm of the rolling desk chair and with an angry shout, she chucked it at Alexei. Alfred scrambled away from her desk as she heard Alexei grunt, putting more distance between them. She wanted to beat the shit out of him, she really did, but the thought that she could hurt herself or her kid in the process was more than enough to stop her from doing that. If she could knock him out and get the attention of the Secret Service, then the problem would be solved and she'd get answers out of him her own way.

Alexei recovered quickly from the blow, tossing the chair aside with a crash as he chased after Alfred again. He grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her in against his chest, holding her tighter when she thrashed and kicked against him. Alfred yelped, seeing red. Nobody was going to make a prisoner out of her. She held Alexei's arm away from her, fighting to keep that cloth as far away from her face as possible while groping along the desk with her free hand, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon.

Her fingers met the cool metal of the desk lamp and with a smirk, she brought the base down hard on Alexei's head. The satisfying crack echoed around the room and Alexei immediately tossed her to the ground. Alfred's arms shielded her stomach protectively and she twisted to land on her back, gasping as the air was knocked out of her. _I'm sorry,_ she apologised mentally to her unborn child, fingers searching for purchase. Alfred forced the air back into her lungs, using the desk to pull herself back to her feet. Alexei rubbed his throbbing head, checking his hand for blood.

"I was going to be nice, but you left me no choice!" Alfred drove her foot into his chest. She grinned, expecting her plan to have worked perfectly; the surprised man would go down and she'd hit him with the lamp a few more times for good measure. What she didn't plan for was Alexei grabbing her foot the second it made contact, nearly knocking her off-balance.

"Let. Me. Go!" she snarled, trying to pull her foot free. When that didn't work, she resorted to punching and clawing at him. Anything to get a scratch and force him to let go. Alfred cried out in surprise when her foot was released, but whimpered when her face hit the Russian's solid chest, seeing stars. She huffed and panted, instinctively shielding her stomach from whatever may happen next.

Ocean eyes widened as he pressed the cloth to her mouth. She held her breath, trying desperately to pull away, but Alexei's strong hand grabbed the back of her head and held her there. Alfred beat against his kidneys, his ribs, whatever part of the body she could get. She tried holding her breath for as long as possible, but even Nations needed oxygen, gasping for air when her lungs started to burn. She inhaled a mouthful of chloroform, the tiredness hitting her like a wave.

She kept hitting him until she blacked out, her last word a pathetic whisper of Ivan's name.

Alexei kept her up with one arm, stuffing the cloth back into his pocket. He reached for Ivan's phone, dialing Moscow.

"Да, начальник, я её захватил. Понятно, возвращаюсь в Москву."

* * *

Alfred awoke in a strange room. It was dark now; just how long had she been out? Alfred's arms were burning with the pain of being kept in one place for so long, but she couldn't move them from behind her back no matter how hard she tried. She began to panic, pulling until the restraints bit into her wrists. But it wasn't just her arms. Her legs were also tied to the chair she was sitting on.

"Hey!" she screamed, looking around the room. "This isn't funny! Hey!" Alfred hated being restrained. She hated it even more when she was done so with no explanation. "Somebody better get over here and let me go or we're going to have a serious problem!"

A man stepped out from the corner of the room, his features obscured by shadow. Alfred could make out the outline of a dark suit as he stepped closer, narrowing her eyes. "Must you be so loud? It is late, you know. But you're finally awake, America." This man's accent was almost as heavy as Ivan's and she would swear she knew that voice…

"You..."

A few more steps and Alfred could finally see his face. "Welcome to Moscow! I hope you will be enjoying your stay," Ivan's boss said with a wicked smirk.

* * *

_**Здравствуй, все! So this latest short story came from a short-ish roleplay arc I had done a while back with bufffycat. The story will be as dark as I originally imagined as we acted it out, so I hope you guys find it as interesting to read as it is to write! :3**_

_**Да, начальник, я её захватил. Понятно, возвращаюсь в Москву: Yes, sir, I've captured her. Understood, returning to Moscow.  
**_


	2. Chapter 2

"You son of a bitch!" Alfred screamed, glaring daggers at the man. Normally a Nation would never speak to their boss in such a manner, let alone another Nation's boss, but to hell with the rules. All formalities had gone out the window and Alfred didn't care how bad this made her look in anyone's eyes. Ivan would forgive her later. "You better get over here and untie me _this instant _or I swear you'll regret it."

"Making threats even when you cannot back them up, America? Really, I do not wish to hear it. I would advise using a little more discretion when speaking to me, considering your situation. You would not want something to happen to dear Russia because of your misplaced words, would you?" He crossed his arms, eyes flickering with joy as he watched Alfred's face twist at the mention of Russia.

"If you've done anything to Ivan, I promise I'll…"

"Hurt my little Russia? Of course not. I care very much about him. In fact, you could even say I'm helping him. We have plans, the two of us…"

"Tell me where he is!" Alfred growled, rocking back and forth to try and gain some leverage over her bindings. Even her Nation strength was no help; she was bound good and struggling only served to tear her already raw wrists up more. "What plan?! Why am I here?!"

"Enough. I am not going to hold conversation with somebody who is going to scream and shout like a child."

Alfred growled and bit back her next comment, settling down. As difficult as it was to not yell at Ivan's boss, as much as she hated him, she had to play by his rules at least for right now. It hurt her pride, but if there was a chance that somewhere in this place Ivan was being hurt more, sucking it up and taking it was certainly the lesser of two evils. "…Fine. Now tell me why you had me kidnapped and brought to Moscow against my will. My boss will love that, by the way. You know it's a declaration of war to kidnap the representative of a country, right?"

"I am well aware of the repercussions of my actions, but I can assure you I do not fear them. Nobody will think to look for you here."

"That's bull! Moscow's the first place they'll look!" She growled. "Considering our previous rocky history together, if the representative of America suddenly disappeared, it's not a big jump to assume Russia and its government. You texted me, remember? They'll trace it back here in a heartbeat."

"Oh, but it was from Russia's phone that you were texted. And the records will show that it was from D.C. that the messages were sent, so nothing looks suspicious there. They will just assume you ran off to go be with him again."

Alfred glared daggers at the man. She hated his way of thinking and she also hated the fact he could be _right. _But her boss couldn't be that stupid, right? Then again, Ivan's boss was planning something big, so who knew just what lengths he was willing to go to?

_Breathe, Alfred. Think of Ivan… The man you love…the father of your child…lying somewhere…maybe dying…maybe gone forever…_

She screamed. "Tell me where he is, damn it!"

Ivan's boss raised an eyebrow. Alfred hissed as blood began to trickle down from her wrists, but it was a dull pain compared to the rage boiling inside of her. "If you do not settle down, every misstep and angry comment will only add to Russia's treatment. You do not want that, do you? It is a long enough process as it is."

Alfred froze. "'Treatment…?' You said you weren't hurting Ivan! If you hurt him, I swear I'll kill you and everybody here to make up for whatever you did to him."

"I am helping Russia! He will be so much better when he has finished his re-education."

"Re-edu… What do you mean…?" her voice was barely a whisper. A lump formed in Alfred's throat. She had a feeling she knew _exactly _what that meant, but she hoped with everything she had that she was wrong.

"Russia has been very careless lately, you see. We cannot have that! He is disappearing for extended periods of time, going off on his own, and now this. Out of everybody, he has fallen for you! And now you are pregnant with his child." Alfred gave him a look but kept her mouth shut.

"Russia is supposed to be my perfect little Nation, but with you around, that is impossible. All this time and attention he devotes to you… He is growing soft. Weak. Nothing like what he once used to be. And you are to blame! You and that child! Which brings me to my next point. You will not be leaving Moscow until the child is born."

Alfred blinked. "You can't keep me here for nine months! I'm not going to let you do that. I'm going to find Ivan and we're both getting the hell away from this crazy ass place."

"You will be free to leave after your term, however you will be leaving alone."

"What are you saying? You're not going to let me see Ivan or our kid?"

"That is correct. Russia has suffered enough of your influence as it is, although I cannot imagine he will want you around once that time has come. The child will be born on Russian land and will stay here. It belongs to us. You won't be needed after that."

"You can't decide that! He or she is as much my kid as it is Ivan's! I'm going to be part of their life no matter what you say. Just ask him. Ivan wants me around. He loves me." Alfred smirked a bit at the thought of Ivan's boss cringing at her words.

To her surprise, Ivan's boss just laughed. It was a very unnerving laugh; the kind that reminded Alfred of the villain in the movie who knew so much more than the poor hero. She didn't like it one bit. "Well, we shall see how long you can think that before you realise that Russia does not want you in his life any longer. We are a team, he and I. Russia wants this just as much as I do. So before you go about shouting at me again, just think about that for a moment."

Alfred's body went rigid and she fought to keep her expression neutral. Ivan didn't want her…? He and his boss were on the same page…? A team? Ivan was…? No, Alfred wouldn't fall for his tricks. He was lying; he had to be. Ivan was always there for her, put up with her mood swings and tantrums, never stopped reminding her how much he loved her… For him to want this… There was just no way.

"Mark my words, I'm going to kill you and everybody here for doing this. And when I see what you've done to Ivan, that'll be it. Let me see him."

"The first thing I will allow you to see is the room you will be in for the next eight or so months. Do not try anything stupid; I would rather not have to have you beaten while you are pregnant."

Alfred gasped. "You wouldn't."

Ivan's boss shrugged. "If you force my hand, there will be no choice left. Do not make it come to that. Alexei?"

"Да, начальник?" Alexei stepped out of the shadows that engulfed the room and Alfred almost jumped when he did. He was quieter than a mouse and Alfred had no idea he was even there. She glared at him when she could finally see his face, feeling nothing but bitter hatred for the man who tricked her and brought her here.

"Now, now, Alexei," Ivan's boss started, a wicked grin on his face. "Do not be rude. You know our illiterate guest here does not speak Russian. We would not want her to feel left out, da? Please stick to English in her presence."

Alfred grimaced, her stomach doing flips at his fake hospitality. She wanted him to just shut up and get on with it so she could start looking for ways to Ivan and get them all out of here. "You're _so _thoughtful," she growled through gritted teeth. "Now will you untie me so I can see the lovely room where I'll be staying?"

"Alexei, would you?" Ivan's boss nodded toward Alfred. Alexei strode over to Alfred and locked eyes with her, smirking. Alfred held those snake-like green eyes with a fierce glare of her own, neither of the two moving as the boss continued to speak. "Remember that I do not make idle threats, America. Everything I have said is a very real possibility should you dare step out of line and I will not hold back. Whether the harm comes directly to you or you force me to raise Russia's treatment to the next level, remember that it all rests on your shoulders—your actions. Keep that in mind before you do something I know you will regret."

Alfred swallowed hard at hearing those words, but refused to break eye contact with Alexei. It all came down to her…? What should she do? Alfred knew she wasn't the best when it came to decision making, but now that Ivan and her child's well-being were on the line, she would have to take the time to really think about the best course of action.

There were two of them in this room right now and one of her. One pregnant one of her. If she attacked Alexei, would Ivan's boss jump for her or give a signal to possibly kill Ivan with whatever sadistic 'treatment' that he was undergoing? If she went straight for the boss, would Alexei hold back while stopping her or would her unborn child be hurt as well?

The risks were too great and Alfred realised there would be no easy way out of this. At least not through brute force alone.

"Y-Yes, I understand…"

The ropes that bound her to the chair were undone, but the extra ropes binding her wrists together were left right where they were, causing Alfred to frown. "I think you forgot one," she scoffed before she shoved her hands in Alexei's face, silently wishing she had 'accidentally' smashed her fists into the Russian's nose.

Alexei pushed her hands away with enough force to knock her off balance, sending her stumbling a few steps to the side. "The fuck, dude?!"

"I didn't forget anything," Alexei said flippantly, turning away from Alfred.

"Uh, hello! Earth to the obviously blind Russian!" Alexei was seriously pissing her off. "What the fuck do you call these, then?!"

"That is rope, you stupid American."

Alfred growled and shoved her face in his, so close their noses were practically touching. "You wanna try that again?" Blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "I might be a girl and I might be pregnant right now, but I can still kick your ass six ways from Sunday, you son of a—"

"Enough," came the commanding tone of the boss' voice. "Alfred, it seems you do not care about Russia as much as I thought. A shame, because he would do anything for you and you cannot even do this for him." Ivan's boss shook his head.

A lump formed in her throat and Alfred instantly backed off. "W-Wait! We haven't done anything! See? Just friendly back-and-forth… Don't touch him! I-I'm…" Alfred pulled at the bindings a little, needing the distraction of pain to force the words out. "…begging you…" This was utterly humiliating for her, but she was doing it for Ivan; her pride could take the hit.

It wasn't forever, she reminded herself. Not forever.

Silence hung in the air until Ivan's boss sighed, nodding. "Fine. Since you asked so nicely, you will be forgiven this time. But this luck and my generosity will not last forever."

Alfred kept quiet, not sure if he was expecting some kind of a response to that. She was dealing with crazy here, and crazy had a tendency to be unpredictable. Normally she loved unpredictable—it kept things fun and interesting and brought a smile to her face when she still came out on top—but unpredictable was her worst enemy right now.

Especially when it was evil Russian unpredictability.

A brief smile played out over her lips. Definitely her next big movie idea. She would have to remember that when she and Ivan got out of the danger zone.

A firm hand slammed into her back, knocking her forward with an unceremonious yelp. "Walk," Alexei ordered as Alfred straightened herself, readying his hand in case he would have to push the American along. Alfred huffed and glared, but did what the Russian ordered, lest the thin ice she was already walking on crack any more.

"Just which way do you want me to go?" she spat, walking forward until she was told to do otherwise. "Not like I know my way around this lovely place."

"Shut up until I give you an order, America." Alexei jabbed his elbow into her left kidney, earning a pained yelp in response. But she did exactly what he wanted her to do, turning to the right as she attempted to avoid another surprise blow to an unseen part of her body.

Alexei would give her a friendly 'nudge' to the back down the hall every few steps when Alfred would slow down to survey her surroundings. This place was a maze and if she had any hope of escaping and finding her way to Ivan, she would have to make a mental map of the layout ASAP.

That was how all good agents did it, right?

Another jab to the kidney told Alfred to make another turn, this time to the left. She passed a large staircase and made sure to remember where that was, but now that posed the question of just what floor was she on and out of how many? Sure, she had seen the Kremlin before, but it was a building she—thankfully—had never needed to step foot inside alone.

_What would James Bond do? _She asked herself as she continued down the hall. He may have been British and one of Artie's, but Bond was still one of her favourite spies ever.

Bond would have a cool gadget, that's what. Something to take out the bad guys in an instant and let him make his quick escape to rescue the girl.

Alfred didn't have a gadget, but she had her instinct, plenty of years of experience, and the father of her child—not quite a damsel in distress, but close enough—to get back to.

"We're here," Alexei announced after what felt like an hour of walking. Alfred stopped walking to stare at the large wooden door in front of her.

"This is it?" Alfred asked flatly, not at all amused. It was just a dark, thick wooden door no different than the handful of others that they passed on the way here. "No special treatment or VIP room? You guys went through so much trouble to get me here already; couldn't put in just a little more effort?"

"Next time I will make sure to get special accommodations just for you, America." Ivan's boss stepped forward and pulled the key to the room out of his pocket. The door opened with a loud creak, leaving Alfred wondering how long it's been since that room was last occupied. Was its last occupant in the same position she was?

"That's all I'm asking. I don't feel special if it looks the same as every other room in here."

"But as for right now, you will be rather disappointed. I think the room will grow on you, though, seeing as you will be spending so much time here. Ladies first, right, America?" Alfred shot Ivan's boss the iciest glare she could muster and slowly entered the room before Alexei decided to help her again.

It didn't look quite as much like a prison cell inside as it felt, but it was still pretty close. The first thing she noticed was the bed; it was large enough to fit her comfortably, so that was a plus. In fact, it looked big enough to fit Ivan as well, but thinking about that while Ivan was missing somewhere in Moscow was doing the opposite of what it should've been doing. She walked over to the bed to test it out, frowning when she sat down on it. Alfred liked her beds soft and plush, but this one might as well have been a stone with a sheet covering it.

How the hell was anybody supposed to get a good night's sleep on this?

Alfred sighed and stepped away from it, walking over to the large dresser. She wasn't planning on sticking around for too long anyway, so she could deal with that for a night or two. The dresser was made of solid oak, painted and finished so it gave off a mirror-like shine. She pulled one of the drawers open out of curiosity, surprised to see that there were clothes laid out inside for her already. "Huh…"

She hip-checked the drawer shut and walked over to the window, thankful that she would at least be able to see outside. The blinds were already opened and she smirked a bit at seeing there were no bars to keep her inside.

_Idiots! They left me a perfectly good escape route! _

With a triumphant grin, she pressed her head against the glass, taking in the not-so-terrible view of the courtyard. She looked down to see just where her room was in relation to everything, her grin slowly fading into a frown.

"Oh shit…"

Any and all escape plans involving the window were shot to hell when she noticed just how high up she was. A fall from that height would surely kill her and the child, leaving Alfred's stomach in knots. There weren't nearly enough footholds for a safe descent, either; the risk greatly outweighed the benefit, turning Alfred off completely from the idea.

If she died, there would be no hope for Ivan. He'd have no family and nobody to save him from his psychotic boss.

A small chair sat on the opposite side of the room, but Alfred didn't feel like walking over to it. She could check out the chair and the closet later when she wasn't feeling so sick to her stomach.

"Not so bad, see?" came the fake cheeriness of the boss' voice, to which Alfred scoffed.

"Yeah, great. Care to do something about these now? And when are you going to let me see Ivan?"

The boss nodded to Alexei who produced a small pocket knife from his pants pocket, stepping up to Alfred. She resisted the urge to back away and kick him for daring to get near her with that thing, but if she wanted the restraints off, she would have to suck it up for a minute and let him do what he needed. If he tried anything, she was sure she could kick him fast and hard enough to make him regret it.

Alfred and Alexei locked eyes again as the ropes fell from her wrists, neither of them wanting to be the first that looked away. Alfred winced slightly as the cool air in the room hit her torn up wrists, but she held Alexei's gaze until he took a step back and pocketed the knife again.

Her wrists were a torn up mess, the marks from the ropes running deep from where she pulled on it. Blood had already started to dry and cake around where the ropes were, giving off the impression of two thin dark red bracelets.

If she was going to see Ivan, it couldn't be like this. He would start to worry the second he saw her hurt, despite it being his own safety and well-being he should be concerned with. Alfred didn't want to give him any cause for alarm when she was in the much better situation of the two.

"Where's the bathroom in this place? A girl's got to do her business somewhere, you know."

"Down the hall. One of the guards posted outside your door will escort you there when you need it. Your room will be locked from the outside at all times."

Alfred blinked. She needed permission to go to the bathroom and she was caged in like some flightless bird? Alfred's stomach lurched; just the thought of being so helplessly trapped almost made jumping out the window to freedom seem less and less crazy by the second.

"There will also be routine checks every hour."

"What, to make sure I don't die of boredom while waiting?"

Ivan's boss chuckled. "To make sure you do not escape. Given the circumstances, I cannot imagine you would even try, but you are you, after all, America. Stupid decisions are just in your nature."

"Hilarious," she said as she pushed past Ivan's boss to be met with a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Alexei demanded.

"To the bathroom, obviously. What, you think I just asked about it for fun?" Alexei shot his boss a look that screamed 'Let me just kill her now and save ourselves the trouble,' but a firm glare quickly wiped the look off the younger Russian's face. With a nod, he followed Alfred to the bathroom, occasionally pushing her along to enjoy watching her get angry and flustered.

Thankfully he didn't follow her in, giving Alfred a few moments to herself. The first thing she checked for was an escape route, but there were no windows and worse, no ventilation shafts that were easily accessible. The only vent in the bathroom was on the ceiling, but it was much higher than she was and there was no guarantee she could even fit through it.

Deciding to leave that alone for now, she looked at her reflection in the mirror, sighing heavily. She wasn't sporting any real bruises, but she didn't look one hundred percent, either. Alfred longed for a nice hot shower—preferably with Ivan—but didn't want to wait any longer to see him. Every second that passed not knowing where or how he was felt like hours; it was pure torture.

She let the cold water run for a second before putting her wrists under the stream, letting out a soft whimper. The water didn't do her wrists any favours, but they were looking much better as the blood washed away. Hopefully Ivan wouldn't notice when she found him.

Alfred quickly smoothed down her hair and washed her face with the soap on hand, staring at herself until she felt content enough to step outside to where the two Russians were once again waiting for her.

"I want to see Ivan now," Alfred said, more of a demand than anything else.

"Fine, fine. Since you have been so good, I will allow you to see Russia. But I doubt he will want to see you."

"Why wouldn't he want to see me?" Alfred snapped, narrowing her eyes. "What have you done to him?"

"Russia is becoming more like his old self; exactly the way he should be."

Alfred's eyes widened. "W-What…?"

"Come. I will let you see Russia." The boss started down the hall without another word. Before Alfred could race after him, everything went dark.

"What the fuck is this?!" She felt something tighten around her head and once she realised that she wasn't about to lose consciousness, it hit her. She had been blindfolded.

"Call it a precaution," Alexei said, grabbing her arm and pulling her along. "So you don't figure out where you are. Half the fun is the look on your face when you don't know where you're going."

Alfred tried to memorise all the turns that they took on the way, but after the first three or four, she started feeling disoriented and all the steps were blurring in her head. There was a staircase leading down, she remembered that much, but was it one flight of stairs or two? Three?

She cursed herself to no end until they finally came to a stop and the blindfold was ripped off her head. "This is it?" she asked, glancing at the heavy door. Much to her dismay, there were no room numbers printed on the top to give away just where she was. "Ivan's in here? How long will you let me stay with him?"

"You can have a few minutes, but that's it."

"Just a few minutes?! No, that's not enough!"

"I will tell you what, America. If you can wake him up and he agrees to let you stay, I may consider giving you more time together. Or perhaps a second visit. We shall see how it goes."

Alfred paled. "Wake him up…?"

Ivan's boss swung the heavy door open with what looked like relative ease and stepped aside. "Go ahead, America."

Alfred took a tentative step forward, not sure if this was a trap or if she was genuinely being shown where Ivan was. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dim light, but when they did, her eyes widened to the point where it was a shock those blue orbs were still in their sockets.

"I-Ivan…?!"


End file.
